Freshman Patricia Riches broke the school’s single game RBI record and matched the single game homerun record, as the College of Staten Island motored past Lehman College in its CUNYAC opener by scores of 16-0, and 13-0, in the Bronx this afternoon.  The Dolphins are now 7-3 overall and 2-0 within the conference, while the Lightning fell to 0-10, 0-2, respectively.

GAME ONE
Riches did not set the RBI record until the afternoon’s second game, but she got the offense started in the first inning of the opener, stroking a double to advance Jacqueline Cautela home, who opened with a single.  Two Lehman errors then led to two more runs coming in to give CSI a 3-0 lead after one.

While Cautela breezed through the first in the circle for the Dolphins, CSI and Riches did more damage in the second.  Two walks sandwiched a Cautela base hit to load the bases, and then Riches went out of the park for a grand slam homer to make it 7-0.  

That proved more than enough, but Cautela smacked a two-RBI double in the third to send CSI up 9-0, and she would come home on an Antoinette Galbo single to make it 10-0 after three frames.  CSI would add four more in the fourth, highlighted by a Kristy Colangelo homerun that also score Nicole Meilak.  In the fifth, CSi added two more insurance tallies on Alexis Kateridge and Christina Ceverizzo singles.  

Cautela and Alison Meagher converged on the no-hit shutout win.  Cautela walked one while fanning seven, while Meagher came on in the fourth to wrap up the final two innings.

CSI out-hit Lehman, 18-0, led by Cautela’s 4-4 performance with three RBI.  Riches went 2-3 with a team-leading five RBI.

GAME TWO
In the second game the teams went through two scoreless innings as starting pitchers Nicolette Trapani and LC’s Hailey Davila traded scoreless innings.  But in the third frame, CSI registered four big runs to take a decisive lead.  The first run would come in on a Davila wild pitch that scored Trapani, but the Riches broke it open with a two-RBI single that plated Galbo and Cautela.  Riches would then come hom herself after a Vanessa Jioia hit and Lehman error.

The Dolphins nearly doubled their lead in the fourth.  Ceverizzo plated the first run off of a Galbo sac bunt, and then it was Riches again, towering a shot to left field that scored her and Trapani for a 7-0 lead.

In the fifth, Jamie Holmes joined the homerun party with a solo shot to start the inning.  After another run made it 9-0, CSI then got singles from Cautela and Galbo and then up stepped Riches.  The former CUNYAC Rookie of the Week then pelted a three-run shot to center field to make it 12-0.  The second homerun in the game tied five other Dolphins for the single game record of two in a single game, the last time achieved in 2007.  The homer also gave Riches 7 RBI in the game, a new CSI single game record.  Five Dolphins had registered six RBI previously, but never seven, giving Riches sole possession of the record.  She led the way with four hits and three runs scored.

Vanessa Jioia finalized the scoring by towering a homer of her own to center field right after Riches’, making the score, 13-0.

Trapani tossed a one-hit shutout for the win, fanning 12 batters, the eighth highest total in CSI single game history and the second highest total of her career.

The Dolphins will go right back to work tomorrow, taking to the road again to take on New Jersey City University for a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 12 Noon.